The Beginning of the Storm (Seeking Everything)

Ichinose Honami watched the sorrowful back of Shiranami Chihiro as she walked away, her eyelashes fluttering slightly. Concern still lingered in her pale blue eyes, and though her lips were pressed into a faint crescent shape, she could not hide the helplessness in her expression. Only when the sound of Shiranami Chihiro's footsteps faded away did she slowly turn her head, her gaze falling upon Watanabe Hayabara.

Watanabe Hayabara bowed slightly in apology, sighed softly, and as he straightened up, he waved his hand helplessly, his bangs falling to cover one eye: "My apologies, Ichinose-san. This was the best course of action. If Shiranami-san faces the problem head-on and calms down, she will feel much better."

Ichinose Honami was startled by his words, then loosened her clenched hands and reached up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, revealing a petite earlobe. She curved her eyes at Watanabe Hayabara, two shallow dimples appearing on her cheeks, though the smile did not reach her eyes: "It's alright, Watanabe-san." Her voice rose slightly at the end, as if trying to dispel the gloom in the air, "Shiranami-san just couldn't accept it for a moment; she'll be fine after a while." She paused, "Thank you so much for today, Watanabe-san."

As Ichinose Honami sat down on the right side of the wooden bench, her skirt brushed against the texture of the seat. She subconsciously shifted half an inch away, while Watanabe Hayabara leaned against the left armrest, his long legs stretched out casually. There was enough space between them for another person to sit, and only the rustling of the evening breeze through the cherry tree branches flowed through the air.

"Watanabe-san," Ichinose Honami broke the silence first, her voice as thin as a spider's thread, "could I have your contact information? Um..." She quickly glanced up at him, "Regarding Shiranami-san's situation, I might still need to trouble you."

Watanabe Hayabara turned his head slightly and immediately caught sight of Ichinose's reddened ear tips. He pulled his phone from his pocket, the light from the screen as he unlocked it illuminating the smile at the corner of his mouth: "Of course, Ichinose-san." He paused, his fingertip hovering over the add-friend interface, and suddenly tilted his head to look at her, a playful glint in his eyes: "So, will I be acting as your boyfriend again next time? Or perhaps..."

Ichinose followed his gaze and collided with his smiling eyes. That smile seemed to be made of crushed starlight, causing her heart to skip a beat. Heat rushed to her cheeks, and even her earlobes turned scorching hot. She hurriedly looked away, staring at her intertwined fingers, not even noticing that her straw hat had slipped onto her shoulder: "Th-this..." Her voice was as faint as a gnat's, the end of her sentence carrying an imperceptible tremor.

"Hahahaha," Watanabe's laughter rang out like wind chimes in the dusk, sending light ripples through the twilight. He reached up to scratch his hair, the playfulness in his eyes gradually softening into warmth: "I'm just kidding, Ichinose."

Ichinose pursed her lips, her fingers resting on her knees slowly relaxing. Her voice was so soft it was almost scattered by the evening breeze, yet it fell perfectly into Watanabe's ears: "It's fine, Watanabe-san." Her eyelashes drooped lower, her cheeks flushed crimson, "If playing the role of a boyfriend can help win Shiranami-san back..." She stopped abruptly, as if something were stuck in her throat, and only after a long while did she finish the sentence, "I don't mind."

"See you next time, Ichinose-san." Watanabe Hayabara said, the curve of his lips softer than before, his tone carrying a touch of casual amusement as if afraid to disturb the quiet dusk: "If you have any problems, feel free to ask me for help. I'm more than happy to assist."

Ichinose Honami stood up almost simultaneously, her movement so swift it stirred a light breeze: "Take care, Watanabe-san." Her voice was clearer than before.

Watanabe Hayabara waved at her and walked away with a light step. After a few paces, he suddenly looked back and gestured with his chin toward Ichinose, who was still standing in place: "Don't stay in the park too long, Ichinose-san. The night air is chilly."

With that, he turned and disappeared into the deep shadows of the cherry trees, his figure quickly swallowed by the lengthening silhouettes.

Ichinose Honami stood still, only slowly lowering her hand once that figure had completely vanished. She gazed in the direction Watanabe had left, a lingering smile still frozen on her lips.

At 7:50 AM, with the morning mist not yet fully dispersed, a thin layer of condensation still clung to the windows at the back of the classroom. When Chabashira Sae pushed the door open just as the final echo of the preparatory bell faded, the creak of the metal door handle coincided perfectly with the lingering chime.

"Good morning, everyone. You all look even more agitated than usual today."

"Chabashira-sensei! Is it zero again this month? I checked my balance this morning, and not a single point was deposited!" Ike Kanji complained.

Chabashira Sae's gaze swept across the classroom, twenty-eight pairs of eyes glued to her fingers holding the paper as if drawn by a magnet. By the window, Kushida Kikyo quietly tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her exposed earlobe flushed with nervous heat.

"Is that why you are all so agitated?" Chabashira Sae's heels paused at the edge of the podium, the crisp sound of them striking the terrazzo floor silencing the restless air for half a second.

Ike Kanji's Adam's apple bobbed twice, his school uniform collar twisted out of shape: "We worked ourselves to death this month!" "We even survived the midterms... but it's still zero, isn't that going too far! And we didn't have any tardiness, absences, or private conversations!" Ike Kanji continued to complain.

"Don't jump to conclusions; listen to me first. Ike, it is as you say—your efforts were truly refreshing. I will acknowledge that much. And just as you have felt, the school is certainly capable of understanding that." Chabashira Sae said soothingly.

Chabashira Sae spoke to Ike in a didactic tone, and Ike Kanji fell silent, sitting back down in his chair.

"Now, I will announce this month's points." Chabashira Sae spread the paper she was holding onto the blackboard, and the results were revealed in order, starting from Class A.

Class A: 987bp

Class B: 912bp

Class C: 678bp

Class D: 13bp

[After students dropped out, is there still a class point total of 13 due to class performance? However, Class C achieved a great victory this time, narrowing the gap with Class A and Class B.]

"Eh? What, thirteen points... we still have thirteen points, that's great!" Seeing that the class still had points, Ike Kanji jumped up from his seat.

"Because two students dropped out, the class points that should have been zero were settled based on the monthly performance, resulting in 13 class points. It could be said that due to the timing of events, you managed to obtain these class points," Chabashira Sae explained.